DVD
Anybody have any idea when this film will be released on DVD?
shareProbably never. It's hard enough to come by on VHS. I have no idea who owns the rights to it, and have heard nothing about it coming to DVD. It's a shame.
shareUniversal owns the rights (as they do to all Paramount films from the 1930s).
They licensed Dietrich's "Scarlett Empress" to Criterion for DVD. Criterion has had "Shanghai Express" on their "in production" list (viewable in the back of Douglas Pratt's excellend "DVD/Laserdisc Newsletter") for almost a year now. If they are indeed releasing it, chances are it would be this year.
I have been in the Amazon web page, and in there i saw that 'Shangai Express' appears like a future release on DVD format.
Come up and see me sometime...
-Mae West-
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It's actually available on DVD in PAL format from Film Prestige (Russian company). English and Russian audio, optional Russian subtitles. I just ordered it today from ozon.ru:
http://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/2429775/
It might be available at alldvd.ca at a later time (easier to order).
It's available at alldvd.ca:
http://alldvd.ca/productDisplay.do?itemId=4898
Thanks a lot for the information, but I think I will expect another release. You see, I don't speak -or read- russian, and my english is just poor, so I better hope some day will released some edition with spanish subtitles.
Anyway, thank you for the kindness.
Fran.-
Come up and see me sometime...
-Mae West-
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next year
shareDVDBeaver announced that the long-delayed Shanghai Express will come out in '08 from Criterion.
shareis this true cuz ive been to the criterion site and it says nothing
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I saw the movie on Turner Classic Movies (TCM channel) awhile ago. They said they are having Asian classics this month.
I check the boards over at Criterionforum.org and it says that Shanghai Express will be released next year for sure.
share[deleted]
Well.....it's next year already......
shareApparently, the Criterion release of this film was stalled because of missing footage. I don't know if that means they are trying to restore any parts that were cut for later re-releases or if the original prints/negatives have disintegrated in sections.
shareThe DVD has been available for at least two years in France and the UK. Head on over to amazon.co.uk and you can find it for incredibly cheap -- all of the Sternberg/Dietrich movies are on officially-released Universal DVD. Only, they're in PAL format, so if you're in the US you'll need a multiregion DVD player. Shanghai Express is available either on its own or as part of the Marlene Dietrich box set (the Universal PAL box set, not the US "Glamor Collection" box set).
The "missing footage" mentioned above...it's missing on the Universal disc, by the way. There's a sequence where Dietrich is called up to translate for a French soldier. Apparently this guy was dishonorably discharged from the French army, but his explanation of this is cut from the print -- they're talking, then a screen jump, and suddenly they're no longer talking. I've read this same footage was missing from the 90s VHS print. I guess Criterion is searching for it.
When will this be released in North America? It has been 5 years now...
shareApparently they are waiting to find a good negative of this film. All the prints I've seen are in pretty bad shape.
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Apparently they are waiting to find a good negative of this film. All the prints I've seen are in pretty bad shape.
If it helps to get the film out on DVD, the Stanford Theatre Foundation owns (or. at least, has access to) a very servicable print. I'm sure the Criterion Collection folks are aware of this, but I wanted to throw that out there, just on the off chance they aren't. I was fortunate enough to see Shanghai Express on the Silver Screen twice yesterday, and didn't notice any significant problems with the print the Stanford used.
The print did, alas, suffer from the missing footage referred to above. It's a very brief section that's missing, but the short gap in the footage leaves the viewer having to guess why, exactly, Major Lenard is dressed in a major's uniform when, judging from what Warner Oland's character says, his passport doesn't reflect his rank ("Then why is he still wearing that uniform?" or something to that effect).
I'd be interested to hear from someone who has seen Shanghai Express on TCM concerning that missing footage. Ted Turner (like David Packard) seems to pull out all the stops when it comes to finding the best print available, so I'm wondering if the print TCM shows is more complete (I suspect it isn't, but it'd be nice to know for sure).
At any rate, it's depressing to hear that this film hasn't had a Region 1 DVD release yet. The print the Stanford showed may not be the ne plus ultra because of the missing footage, but the missing bit is so brief, it doesn't really detract from the film. The Major Lenard is, after all, a minor character (though it's interesting to note that the actor who plays the major [Emile Chautard] was also at one time a director who earned rare praise from Josef von Sternberg).
I wish everyone posting in this thread could have been there to see the movie with me yesterday; Dietrich is so beautiful (and so stylish) that it's enough to make you weep. I wanted to go back to the theatre today and see it again, but things just didn't work out. I came here to see about the DVD and, well, you know the rest. It's a great pity that anyone wanting to see this film has to either wait until TCM decides to show it, or spring for a region-free DVD player.
If the Criterion folks ever do release it, (?) I hope the print they use is an outstanding one, as the one they used for The Scarlet Empress is, I've been led to understand, not the greatest (I'm trying to be kind). Between the 10 years that have passed between the DVD release of Empress, and the introduction of Blu-ray, I'm hoping the Criterion folks will get their act together, put forth the kind of effort they're renowned for, and make good prints of both films available for film (and Marlene Dietrich) fans.
(We live in hope, eh?)
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"I'd be interested to hear from someone who has seen Shanghai Express on TCM concerning that missing footage. Ted Turner (like David Packard) seems to pull out all the stops when it comes to finding the best print available, so I'm wondering if the print TCM shows is more complete (I suspect it isn't, but it'd be nice to know for sure). "
I TiVo'd this and saw it just the other night. Deitrich is indeed luminous but how could she fall for a stick like the doctor?
Anyhow, the missing footage described above as Lily translates for the French solider was included in the TCM showing.
Am I anywhere near the imaginary cliff?share
To be sure, the scene we are discussing here is NOT including in the TCM broadcast.
This is only a two second or so sequence where Lily explains WHY the French soldier has lost his standing in the military. The sequence, as you state, where Lily translates for the soldier throughout is present in all versions of the film -- it is however this one snippet of film that's missing.
You will notice that the screen jumps after the Frenchman speaks; suddenly everyone is sitting in a different position, and Warner Oland asks, "Then why is he still wearing his uniform?"
What's missing is what the Frenchman had said and what Lilly translated for him. It's my understanding from the script that she said it was "A misunderstanding" or something to that effect.